Weather Journal: Rain Continues on Thursday

A storm system, the same slow-moving band of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico that saturated Greater New York on Wednesday, will dump rain on the region for much of Thursday.

Rain rates associated with this storm were shown by radar to be around .3 to .5 inches per hour on Wednesday afternoon. More than an inch of rain fell on Central Park by noon, while up to three quarters of an inch soaked parts of northeastern New Jersey. The heaviest rain, along with thunderstorms and umbrella-destroying winds of up to 30 miles an hour, will soak the tri-state area on Wednesday night. Several more inches of rain are expected before the storm wraps up, likely leading to flooding in low-lying and urban areas.

A warm front passing through the region after midnight will help winds to diminish slightly and lead to areas of fog early on Thursday, especially along the coast. The front will clear the mid-Atlantic states in the morning and rain should taper off by noon, but showers and thunderstorms may be slow to end over eastern Long Island and Connecticut.

The first day of May will be relatively warm, as a southwest wind around 10 miles an hour helps to boost temperatures well above normal. Highs will reach the lower 70s in New York City and may pass 75 degrees in Poughkeepsie and other inland areas. Skies stay mostly cloudy through the evening hours, and overnight lows won’t fall below 50 degrees in most places.

Thanks to an area of weak high pressure set to build in from the west, the Greater New York finally has the opportunity to dry out a bit on Friday. Partly to mostly sunny skies return and high temperatures will rise into the middle 60s. There is a chance of rain in the forecast for Friday afternoon, but as of Wednesday, it stood at just 20 percent.